culturefandomcom-20200222-history
Because (Beatles song)
| track_no = 8 | Recorded = 1–5 August 1969, EMI Studios, London | Genre = | Length = | Writer = Lennon–McCartney | Label = Apple | Producer = George Martin | Misc = | Tracks = }} "Because" is a song written by John Lennon (credited to Lennon–McCartney) and recorded by the Beatles in 1969. It features a prominent three-part vocal harmony by Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison, overdubbed twice to make nine voices in all. It first appeared on Abbey Road (1969), immediately preceding the extended medley on side two of the record. Composition similar to the one used for "Because"]] The song begins with a distinctive electric harpsichord intro played by producer George Martin. The harpsichord is joined by Lennon's guitar (mimicking the harpsichord line) played through a Leslie speaker. Then vocals and bass guitar enter. "Because" was one of few Beatles recordings to feature a Moog synthesiser, played by George Harrison. It appears in what Alan Pollack refers to as the "mini-bridge", and then again at the end of the song. According to Lennon, the song's close musical resemblance to the first movement of Ludwig van Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata was no coincidence: "Yoko was playing Beethoven's 'Moonlight Sonata' on the piano ... I said, 'Can you play those chords backwards?', and wrote 'Because' around them. The lyrics speak for themselves ... No imagery, no obscure references." Musical structure With regard to the controversy Lennon initiated by citing Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" as an inspiration, musicologist Walter Everett notes that "both arpeggiate triads and seventh chords in C♯ minor in the baritone range of a keyboard instrument at a slow tempo, move through the submediant to ♭II and approach vii dim7/IV via a common tone."Walter Everett. The Beatles as Musicians: Revolver Through the Anthology Oxford University Press, Oxford 1999. pp. 259–260 But while acknowledging the unusual shared harmonies, Dominic Pedler notes that the relationship is not the result of reversing the order of the chords as Lennon suggested.Dominic Pedler. The Songwriting Secrets of the Beatles. Music Sales Limited. Omnibus Press. NY. 2003. pp. 428–433 "Because" concludes with a vocal fade-out on D dim, which keeps listeners in suspense as they wait for the return to the home key of C♯ minor. Mellers states that: "causality is released and there is no before and no after: because that flat supertonic is a moment of revelation, it needs no resolution."Wilfred Mellers. Twilight of the Gods: The Music of the Beatles. Schirmer/Macmillan 1973. p. 118 The D dim chord (and its accompanying melodic F♮) lingers until they resolve into the opening Am7 chord of "You Never Give Me Your Money". Recording George Martin on "Because":Buskin, Richard, insidetracks, p. 64-65 The main recording session for "Because" was on 1 August 1969, with vocal overdubs on 4 August, and a double-tracked Moog synthesiser overdub by Harrison on 5 August. As a result, this was the last song on the album to be committed to tape, although there were still overdubs for other incomplete songs. This approach took extensive rehearsal, and more than five hours of extremely focused recording, to capture correctly. McCartney and Harrison both said it was their favourite track on Abbey Road. "They knew they were doing something special," said engineer Geoff Emerick, "and they were determined to get it right." A new remixed version, without instrumentation, was released on 1996's Anthology 3 and 2006's Love. Both versions highlight the three-part harmony by Lennon, McCartney and Harrison. In 2016, the Beatles' Anthology 3 version was featured in the trailer for Luc Besson's film Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. Personnel * John Lennon – triple-tracked harmony vocals (middle register), guitar * Paul McCartney – triple-tracked harmony vocals (high register), bass * George Harrison – triple-tracked harmony vocals (low register), Moog synthesiser * George Martin – Baldwin electric spinet :Personnel per Ian MacDonald Cover versions Notes References * * * * * * }} External links * Category:The Beatles songs Category:1969 songs Category:Song recordings produced by George Martin Category:Songs written by Lennon–McCartney Category:Alice Cooper songs Category:Elliott Smith songs Category:Negativland songs Category:George Clinton (musician) songs Category:Popular songs based on classical works Category:Songs published by Northern Songs